CH 38

Joe was bamboozled. At the same time, he felt incredibly humbled. With Gu Yan’s disposition, he would very seldomly make a sudden request of any of his friends, so this type of having ‘something to discuss’ was really too rare.

“Hold up!” Joe made a time-out gesture with his arms. “Hang on, don’t speak yet. Let me first immortalise this moment that you actually have something you need to discuss with me. This is way too rare, I have to savour the aftertaste.” 

Gu Yan, “…”

Psycho…

Joe craned his neck and caught sight of Ke Jin’s face through the trailer window. Even though Ke Jin was spaced out and probably couldn’t see him, he still grinned over there. Then, he pulled Gu Yan to one side. “Alright, I’ve mentally prepped myself. Say it. What could possibly make you deign to open your mouth?”

“If I may bring someone else,” said Gu Yan. 

Joe blinked. His eyes were blue and much lighter than most; the colour was pure and beautiful, simply that it looked a little silly when matched with his face.

More accurately, as long as it grew on his face, it was bound to look silly.

“What did you say? Bring someone else?” Joe was baffled. “A fugitive? A controversial politician? Or is it someone with a shocking background? Or some archenemy of mine?”

“…What kind of rubbish do you think about everyday?” Expressionless, Gu Yan said, “Just an intern.”

“If it’s just an intern then what are you discussing this so solemnly with me for?” Joe blinked again. “Do you take me as someone who can’t afford to scrounge up food for one more?”

“…”

Things such as ‘asking out of courtesy’ were completely lost on a rich second generation like him.

Gu Yan, “Forget that I said anything.” 

He had already turned over to call Yan Suizhi when Joe finally reacted, three beats late. He cried out in wonderment, “Holy frick, what the fuck wait, waittt—”

Wait, your ass.

“You actually want to bring someone! Good lord, you actually want to bring another person of your own volition!” Joe’s expression was as if the space shuttle he took here had suddenly blown up mid-route.

Gu Yan mocked, “Next time I’ll be sure to bring a ghost instead.” 

Upon saying this, the hand that originally beckoned towards Yan Suizhi stopped for a moment, and he changed his mind to make a communication request to the law firm first.

As the line connected, his gaze travelled back and forth between Ke Jin and Yan Suizhi once.

“Hello? Gu?” Ms Fizz’s voice came from the other end.

Gu Yan turned his gaze away, responding with an “mn”. Then, he got straight to business, “File a note for Ruan Ye, he’ll be out with me today and tomorrow. Count it as a business trip.” 

“What do you mean by another business trip?” Ms Fizz’s tone sounded like she wanted to crawl out through the signal. “Don’t you know that whisking off someone, a fresh grad yet to get used to his job, on business trips everyday will leave a psychological shadow on his work?”

Gu Yan, “…”

That ‘someone’ has gone on twice as many business trips than you and I combined. The shadow isn’t there at all.

“What are you scoffing at?” Fizz was deeply hurt. 

“P vlvc’a,” Xe Tjc mjiwis rjlv, “cba ja sbe. Uifjrf olif la. Ktjcxr.”

Mlhh kjr ralii lcafca bc vblcu tfg pby ab qgbafma atf ‘neicfgjyif lcafgc’ ogbw atf tjgrt afjmtfg. “Glvc’a tf pera mbwf yjmx ogbw j yerlcfrr aglq? Pa lrc’a abb ubbv obg tlw ab yf gecclcu jgbecv ilxf atlr, vbc’a sbe atlcx? Dfrlvfr, tbk klii tf rla lc atf qgfilwlcjgs jrrfrrwfca?”

“…”

That ‘vulnerable intern’ takes the First-Class Lawyer medallion as a plaything, what preliminary assessment do you want him to sit? 

Gu Yan was utterly unconvinced. “I’ll send you a video tonight. The preliminary assessment will be graded based on that video.”

Fizz, “What video?”

“A video recording of the bail hearing at Wine City,” Gu Yan said.

Fizz then recalled. Lawyer Gu liked to walk off the beaten path. Not more than two days into his new job, the intern was made to go right up to fight in court. 

Which was more valuable? The real deal or the simulation?

It was a dumb question.

Fizz felt that only someone with the brain sunk in the sea would ask that question, so she chose not to ask it and quietly went “oh”. Then she said, “But this isn’t up to me to decide, I’ll check with those on the management floor. The other lawyers with interns will have to agree too. It’s quite troublesome, so you’d better give me a convincing reason.”

Gu Yan, “He’s my intern. Not yours, nor any other lawyers’.” 

Wow. One-hit K.O.

Fizz struggled for a few seconds more before finally conceding. “…Fine, fine, I’ll make him a note. I’m making it as I speak. Be safe out there, you and him both. Don’t come back with another leg injury. Then you won’t have an intern anymore.”

After she said this, Ms Fizz thought to herself for a moment and silently said, “I mean, I know you can hardly wait.”

Gu Yan skipped right past her superfluous words and nodded. “Thanks.” 

Joe listened to the whole spiel from the side.

After Gu Yan cut the line, he asked with his brows flying high on his face, “It seems quite troublesome to get this approved, huh?”

“And which eye of yours discerned that?”

“Both.” Joe wasn’t in the slightest bit afraid of Gu Yan’s scorn. By now, he was impervious to it and even enjoyed it. “Why do you want to bring him even though the process is so troublesome to get through, hm?” 

Joe tried hard to keep his expression straight, but his tone betrayed him.

Gu Yan didn’t look like he planned to bother with him at all.

Joe understood his personality well. After getting past the itch to pass a comment, just when Joe thought that he wouldn’t get an answer, Gu Yan suddenly said, “For the sake of others, it’d be better to bring him.”

Joe, “???” 

“What do you mean?”

It meant that he couldn’t get a handle on the antics that a certain someone would get up to, and would feel uneasy being unable to keep an eye on him for a day.

After all, how many people in this universe would take flowers to their own grave??

Once Gu Yan thought about the dilemma he had just been caught in, he realised that he was still holding the flowers that Laura had earlier stuffed into his hands in her anxiousness. 

A whole bunch of them.

After the chaos of Ke Jin’s situation, he no longer had to consider whether or not to give flowers. He immediately put the flowers in Joe’s hand and patted his shoulder. “I remember that your grandfather is buried here as well. Send him my regards.”

Joe, “…”

Yan Suizhi’s attention was originally on Ke Jin, but afterwards, the intensity of Joe’s probing gaze was truly too strong to ignore; he had to look over there again. 

As a result, he saw Gu Yan crook his finger at him, beckoning him over in an exceptionally unconcerned manner.

Yan Suizhi, “…”

This thing that doesn’t know how to respect his teacher, he’d better not dream of living.

Yan Suizhi harrumphed from his nose, maintaining a staredown with Gu Yan for a good few seconds. 

Probably no one aside from the people involved could detect this confrontation.

In the end, Professor Yan still graciously tolerated Student Gu’s unreasonableness, walking unhurriedly down the path of the cemetery to the opposite side of the trailer.

The other interns were a bit confused. Gu Yan was quite an imposing teacher to them. Therefore, when one went over, the few others instinctively followed behind like quails.

Gu Yan, “…” 

I only called one but a whole flock came over; god only knows how small my action was already.

“What is it?” Freida asked furtively, alarmed and terrified. She probably had no memory of how she had once attempted to swap mentors with Yan Suizhi.

Luke shook his head. His voice was even quieter than hers. “I don’t know. I followed Ruan Ye.”

“…” 

Yan Suizhi benevolently glanced back at them.

“He’s coming with me for two days. You go do what you have to do.” Gu Yan’s face was as cold as usual.

“Ah…” Freida and Anna, who were very terrified earlier, now felt slight regret. It was hard to say if it was because Gu Yan was leaving, or because Yan Suizhi was leaving, or both.

After they got over their regret, they suddenly seemed to think of something. “Will he be back in time for the preliminary assessment tomorrow afternoon then?” 

“He isn’t taking part,” Gu Yan said, composed and blunt.

All the interns whipped their heads towards Yan Suizhi. Professor Yan wore an innocuous expression. “Don’t look at me like that. I only just found out about this too.”

Saying this, he gave Gu Yan a helpless look…

But Gu Yan wasn’t even looking at him at all. 

“Then his assessment score…” Freida appeared hesitant.

“We’ll see. I’ll grade him if necessary,” Gu Yan said.

Several of the interns looked at each other and simultaneously cast extremely sympathetic glances at Yan Suizhi, as if his upper body had been blown out of the doors of Southcross Law Firm.

Nevertheless, Yan Suizhi was quite pleased with such an arrangement. He still had more questions he wanted to ask, but decided to leave them be for now. 

“You… yeah, well. Take care.” Luke whispered to Yan Suizhi and cast him a look, just as if Gu Yan was blind and couldn’t see.

—

Joe, the rich second generation, was a dynamic man of action. He said that he would invite all of them over and he really did without half a second of delay.

Half an hour later, Yan Suizhi was already seated by Gu Yan on Joe’s private space shuttle. 

This rich second generation had a tremendously powerful family behind him with its influence extending into all corners of the stellar systems. For example, the various infrastructure in Wine City they were previously in, the Spring Ivy hospitals across the galaxies, etc…

Although it had started to go on the decline, the lean camel that died of starvation was still bigger than a horse; a rich person was still better off than ordinary people even after suffering a loss. Minimally, they had enough wealth for two whole generations to live in utter decadence.

“So, we are now…” asked Yan Suizhi from his seat beside Gu Yan.

The space shuttle was slowly pulling out of the private port as he asked this. 

“On a business trip.” Gu Yan’s answer was prim.

Yan Suizhi arched his brows. After seeing Joe, he suddenly remembered that the familiar voice he heard over the communications call before should have been this rich second generation.

“If memory serves me right, you seem to be about to attend a personal gathering,” Yan Suizhi exposed him without any hesitation whatsoever.

Gu Yan said blandly, “Visiting graves, or claiming business travel allowance. Pick one.” 

“…”

What did it mean to hit it where it hurts? This would be it.

Yan Suizhi said, sincerely, “Business trip.”

“Then be quiet.” 

Yan Suizhi scoffed in his head and obediently shut his mouth.

Just as they were about to rest their eyes, someone suddenly walked over and sat down quietly beside them.

To be precise, he sat down beside Yan Suizhi…

It was Ke Jin.